Long Covid, Episodic Disability & UK Labour Participation

This international policy paper, published in September 2024, highlights the urgent need to recognise and respond to Long Covid as an episodic disability that significantly affects labour market participation. Drawing on lived experiences and research from Canada, Ireland, the UK and the US, it demonstrates how Long Covid can lead to unpredictable, fluctuating physical, cognitive and emotional symptoms that impact on people’s ability to work on a sustained basis.

The paper identifies 13 evidence-based calls to action for governments, employers, HR managers, insurers and service providers. These include recognising Long Covid as a disability in law and practise, providing flexible and permanent adjustments in the workplace, improving access to occupational health support and including people with Long Covid in policy-making. It also highlights the economic impact of job loss and underemployment associated with Long Covid and the need for inclusive, sustainable employment policies to prevent further marginalisation.

By implementing these recommendations, the report argues, institutions can reduce stigmatisation, uphold the rights of people with disabilities and ensure that people with Long Covid are supported to participate fully in working life.

The report can be accessed by clicking here.